“NASA is closer to sending American astronauts to Mars than at any point in our history,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "In the coming weeks, I look forward to continuing to discuss the details of our plan with members of Congress, as well as our commercial and our international and partners, many of whom will be attending the International Astronautical Congress.”

Bolden is referring to one of the world's largest annual space conferences which kicked off today in Israel. The four-day event, which will host 2,000 scientific demonstrations, is being organized by the Paris-based International Astronautical Federation.

NASA has been particularly willing to jump on board "The Martian" bandwagon. The space agency served as consultants on the film and now, in perhaps a case of the tail wagging the dog, scientists are offering their reviews on the film.

In the meantime, NASA has created a website for the public to track progress of the actual, real-life Mars mission. The journey to the inhospitable planet will require three stages, as described in the infographic below. "Bridging these three categories are the overarching logistical challenges facing crewed missions lasting up to 1,100 days and exploration campaigns that span decades," wrote NASA's Stephanie Schierholz. "The journey to Mars is an historic pioneering endeavor."

An artist’s rendering of the Earth Reliant, Proving Ground and Earth Independent thresholds, showing key parts that will be developed along the way. (Photo: NASA)

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Benyamin Cohen
writes about everything from science to entertainment – and sometimes about dating apps for dogs.